Engine



' July 16, 1929 R. G. STRUBLE ENGINE 2. Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 2. 1924 z? aabwz ATTORNEY WITNESS:

July 16, 1 929. R. e. STRUBLE ENGINE Filed June 2, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 7?. a. sinuz-ze Q QLWM WITNESS:

Patented July 16, 1929.

HOLLAND G. sinners, or .BE'ULAH, MICHIGAN.

ENGINE.

Application filed June 2, 1924. Serial No. 717,364.

My present invention has reference to improvements in rotary engines.

Among the objects are the provlslon 1n a rotary engine of is, a rotor which is constructed of sections spring influenced to take up any wear which might occur; the provision of spring 1nfluenced sectional piston the rotor and singly receiving 1 the live steam or other fluid, while means is provided for successively admitting fluid to the piston blades acted on to move the same in tight contacting engagement with the casing, together with a segmental reverse block for properly directing the steam to turn the rotor in either direction, the said reverse block being apertured, and, the base of the casing being likewise apertured so that all condensation in the engine casing will be drained therefrom.

To the attainment of the foregoing and other objects which will present themselves as the nature of the invention is better understood, reference is to be had to the drawings which accompany and which form part of this application.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rotary engine in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an end view of the rotor showing certain of the piston blades movable therethrough opposite the steam chests in the side of the casing to be acted on by the steam therein and to be projected through the rotor.

Figure 5 is an approximately central longitudinal sectional view through the rotor.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of one of the piston rods.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Figure 6.

The casing 1 of my improvement is mounted on legs 2. The casing proper is of cylindrical formation and has at its top a steam chest 2'.. The pipe delivering steam into the chest is indicated by the numeral 3. The bottom of the chest is provided, adjacent to its ends, with ports 4 and 5 respectively, each of which communicates with, and in fact. forms the end of curved passages 6 and 7, the said passages terminating an expansible rotor, that blades carried by thereagainst in inwardly directed ports 8 and 9 dis osed at the sides adjacent the bottom 0 the casing.

Steam under pressure is admitted to either of' the passages 6 and 7, and to the interior of the casing by the manipulation of a valve 10 of the ordinary construction. The valve 10 has its stem 11 passing through a packing box 12 on one end of the steam chest. The outer end of the valve stem 11, is bifurcated and has passed through the-arms provided thereby a pin 13 that is recelved through an elongated slot 14 in a lever 15 that is ivoted, as at 16, to brackets on one side of the casing.

The steam outleu is arranged below the steam chest 2' and between the ports 4 "and 5, and is indicated by the numeral 17.

The bottom of the cylindrical casing has its inner wall provided with an arcuate depression 18 that extends the full width of the casing. The lower wall provided by the arcuate depression 18- has its ends beveled inwardly, as at 19, and the bottom of the casing is provided with spaced ports 20 and 21 which communicate with the depressions 18.

The central portion of the lower wall provided by the depression 18 is formed with a rounded concavity that receives therein a boss 22 which is centrally formed upon an arcuate block 23. The block has its lower wall thickened at the ends thereof, and the said thickened portions are beveled, as at 24. The block is provided with spaced openings 25 and 26 larger, but designed to register with the respective openings 20 and 21. Keyed in the hollow boss of the block 23 there is a shaft 27 that is received in bearing openings surrounded by bosses on the sides of the casing 1. One end of the shaft is headed, and the opposite end has secured thereto an arm 28. To the arm 28 there is pivotally connected a link 29, the link in turn being pivotally secured to the lower end of a lever 30. The lever is pivotally supported, as at 31, on a bracket car-' rying a segmental rack 32. the said bracket being secured to one of the legs of the casing. The lever carries a hand operated 105 spring influenced pawl 33designed to engage between the teeth of the segmental rack 32. B swinging the lever it will be noted that the block can have either of its ends swung into contacting engagement with the rotor in the casing which will now be described.

The rotor is round in plan and comprises two sections, one of which being centrally provided with a rounded boss extension 34 and may be referred to as the male element of the rotor. The second element of the rotor is centrally provided with a round depression 35 to receive the, boss therein, and thissection may be referred to as the female member of the rotor. A shaft 36 passes centrally through the rotor sections and also passes through suitable bearings that may be surrounded by stufiingrb oxes on the sides portion of the shaft that is of the casing 1. The ,mterengaging parts of the sectional rotor have aligning depressions within which is received a helical spring 37 that surrounds the shaft 36. The

bore of they rotor that receives the shaft .therethrough is formed with asplineway which aligns with a similar splineway in a received in the rotor, and in the splineways there is a spline or key 38. The spring 37 causes the sections of therotor to move away from each other, bringing the same into contact with the inner end walls of the cylinder 1, the key in the splineways permitting such movement ofthe rotor sectlons.

Each of the rotor sections is provided with rightangularly disposed pockets 39 of rectangular formation, the inner wall of each of the pockets being formed with a notch 40. Movably received in each of the pockets there is a piston blade of a particular and peculiar formation. The piston blades are broadly indicated by the numeral 41, and the sections thereof by the numerals 42 and 43 respectively. At their confronting faces the sections 42 and 43 have their diagonally opposed corners formed respectivel with rectangular notches or cut-away portions 44 and with rectangular extensions 45 that are received in the cut-away portions 44. The extensions 45 are provided with elongated openings 46 through each of which passes a pin 47 that enters the cooperating piston sections. In this manner the sections 42 and 43 are held in their outward movement with respect to each other but the said sections are influenced in such direction by a helical spring 48 received in a suitable pocket therebetween. The rotor is expansible axially of the casing, and the piston blades are also expansible axially in the casing while the vanes are pressed radially into engagement with the casing bythe steam pressure. The slots which I have termed the pockets 39 extend entirely through the rotor, and the pistons are of a len h to fully cover the slotsand of a wi th to normally contact with the inner wallof the cylinder 1 as well as to ride over face of the block 23. casing 1- is provided with the inner arcuate One side of the tible to modifications,

opposed arcuate openings that of course, communicate with These openings are covered by hollow mem bers 49 and 50 respectively, and the said hollow members have pipe connections 51 and 52 respectively with the steam chest 2, or, if desired, with the ports or passages that lead from the steam chest into the engine cylinder. The opposite side of the casing, directly centrally with respect to the small steam chests 49 and 50 is provided with an exhaust opening or port 53.,

Assuming the parts to be in the position illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, it will be seen that the live steam from the chest 2 will be directed through the passage 6 and its port 8 against one of the pistons. The widened end of the block 23 has been moved to close the passage between the depression 18 and the interior of the cylinder. The live steam will therefore act against the. piston plate nearest the port 8. By reference to the dotted line position of the auxiliary steam chest 49 it willbe also seen that steam is let thereinto, and such steam is received in the notch in which the piston is arranged and acting thereagainst will force the said piston outwardly of its pocket into tight contact with the rounded wall of the cylinder. The steam will be exhausted as soon as the piston passes the exhaust port 17, so that no dead steam will remain in the cylinder to retard the movement of the remaining pistons and the rotor. All drainage or condensation from the steam will find an outlet through the openings 26 and 21, in this instance. When the levers are actuated to turn the reverse block 23 in an opposite direction and the valve 10 in a position to close the port 4 the steam will enter the port 5, passage 7, port 9 and act against the piston nearest thereto, in which instance an outward movement will be directed to the said piston by steam entering the chest 50. The steam received between the piston plates and the notches in the pockets of the rotor will. of course, exhaust through the port 53 and it is believed that the foregoing description, when taken in connection with the drawings will fully set forth the construction and advantages of my improvement to those skilled in the art to which such inventions relate. It is to be stated, however, that the nature of my invention necessarily renders the same suscepand therefore I hold myself entitled to make such changes from the construction herein set forth as fairly fall within the scope of what I claim.

Having described the invention, I claim 2- 1 n a rotary engine, a cylindrical casing having its inner wall at its bottom formed its entire length with an arcuate depression and with spaced ports arranged upon oppoone side of the rotor. v

site sides of said cavity, the bottom ends of said depression being enlarged and beveled outwardly, a rotor mounted in said casing, piston blades for said rotor and being mounted for engagement with the casing, an arcuate shape block formed with spaced ports larger than the ports first mentloned and being adapted to alternately register with the corresponding ports in the depression, enlar ed ends formed with said block and being ieveled in opposed relation with the lowermost beveled portion conforming with the beveled ends of said depression, the outermost ends of the depression and block respectively being rounded to the same degree for fitting engagement, said casing being provided with oppositely disposed steam passages having inwardly directed ports communicating with the interior of said casing adjacent the ends of the depression, a boss on the lower side of said block and being rotatably mounted in said cavity, a shaft keyed in said boss, and manually operated means having connection with said shaft to rock the block for disposing the ends thereof in contacting engagement with the rotor so as to direct the assage of steam in either direction against t e iston blades.

2. In a rotary engine, a cy indrical cas ing, a rotor in said casing and including sprmg pressed parts formed with pockets, a piston blade in each pocket and being formed into a pair of sections, rectan 1e shaped extensions formed with dia ona y opposed corners of one section of eac blade and received in cut-away portions in the corresponding corners of its compamon section, ins passing through elongated openings ormed in the extensions and adjacent portions of the sections respectively for securing the sections together, spring means for influencing the sections in opposed relation with respect to each other, means for supplying and controlling steam to the outer side surfaces of the piston blades, and said casing being provided with exhaust openings being in communication with the outer side of the rotor and the inner ends of the pockets.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

ROLLAND G. STRUBLE. 

